The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-07-29
A SCANDAL ENDS IN DEATH
A Startling Story, in Which an Indiana
Preacher Figures Prominently.
Miss Beck, Who Eloped with Rev. West, of
Chesterton, Dies in st. Louis from Poison,
and the Author Of Her Ruin Disappears.

ST Louis. July 2a.-On July I'd man call
Jug himself Thomas Abbott, with his wife, An
ME, several years his junior, a bright, hand
some blonde. came to this city and took cheap
lodgings. They were very poor and said they
came from Canada Abbott q small, thin,
clerical-lookirg mar and claimed to be author
ized to preach. and was very piously inclined in
acts and manner. He was a silver
platter by trade as we'll as a preacher and OBJ
tanned work at the silver ware establishment of
NJ. D. Degge. He seemed to be- very fo1d of his
wife, and was very attentive 30 her. A few
days later MS wife taken very i'll with what
her physicians called cholera morbus and heart
disease, and on the night of July Il size died,
and next day buried. The certif-
cate of death was regular, and
nothing had occurred to arouse suspici on
that anything was wrong The next day Abbc..
went to Mr.. Degge's shop, apparently in great
distress and very much depressed by grief at
the loss of his wife. He wrote several letters
and went out to mail them, and that was the
last Mr.. Degge saw of him. By the 4 o'clock
mail that afternoon, however, Mr. Degge re-
ceiyed letter from Abbott, inclosing ianother
which purported to have been written by
Mrs. Abbott, in which she says she
feels she is a burden to him. that she has caused
him great trouble, and that she had taken
arsenic with suicidal intent. Abbott's letter re-
ferred to the one from his wife, he moaned her
sad fate, professed great love for her. said moth
ing would console him but reunion with her.
and that his body would be found In
the river. Mr.. Degge discovered marked sim
ilarity between the writing of Mrs. Abbott's
letter and part of that of Abbotts, and his sus-
picions was aroused. He consulted the police,
but was told there was nothing particular in the
case. and the coroner would do nothing without
further information. and so the matter rested.
Yesterday package of arsenic was
found Degge's shop, which had
been purchased by Abbott when he
employed there They do not arsenic
in the shop, and additional suspicion was excit-
ed. To day two dispatches were received by the
chief of police from Chesterton. Porter county,
Ind. asking for full description of Abbott and
his wife, and stating that it thought Albeit
was Rev. DR.. West, of that place, who eloped
description was sent. ard tonight a
response received that it fitted DR.. West ex
acty. 1t has since been learned that Abbott's
right name is William Thomas Abbott West;
that he is a Methodist preacher in charge of
church at Chesterton, Ind, and has wife and
six children The dead girls name
was Susie Beck. She nurse
in Vests family. last February. when
Mrs West was sick, and subsequently she and
Mr. West became not only intimate, but, it is
said, their intercourse became a scandal. Some
time IN last MAY West came to Chicago osten-
sibly for medical treatment The girl also
went there, and they said to have remained
In that city until June %, when they
here West, 1T appears, when he left here
on the 18th went directly home, but the death of
Mrs. Abbott in this city becoming common talk
there, he left again in two days and has not
been heard of since. 1t has further developed
that West lived in kankakee Illinois before he
moved to Chesterton, and that he preach
there in good standing. Prior
to that he lived in South Bend
Ind, where he was employed in Studebaker's
wagon factory. The body of the Beck girl was
exhumed by the coroner this afternoon. and is
at the norg1e. "A post norton will be held
tomorrow, to determine whether she was pois-
oned, but even though arsenic should be found
il the stomach, it will be difficult
to decide whether she took it voluntarily or
whether it was administered by West Doctor
Aiding the physician who attended her when
sick says he discovered poison symptoms.
The is a very mysterious one and will be
investigated thoroughly.